[tlhIngan Hol] Crescent moon

[Steven Boozer]

mayqel qunenoS wrote:
> > We use {maS'e' loQ So'be'bogh QIb}, in order to say "crescent moon".
> > Shouldn't the {loQ} come first ?

SuStel:
> See TKD Addendum, section 6.7: Placement of adverbial elements.

(TKD 179:  It is possible for an element of another type to precede the adverb. Most commonly this is a time element.

(TKD 180):  The adverbial may actually follow the object noun (but still precedes the verb) when the object noun is topicalized by means of the noun suffix {-'e'}:
    HaqwI''e' DaH yISam 
    Find the SURGEON now!

There's another nearly identical example from Star Trek VI:

  cheng'e' DaH yISam
  Find Chang. (ST6)

{loQ} is not a time element like {DaH}, but look again at the phrase in context:

  nuH'e' qengbogh mangghomvam
     luDel 'e' ra' molor
     lujang maS'e' loQ So'be'bogh QIb lurur
  Molor asks them
     What weapons this army carries,
     They reply, shaped as the crescent moon. 

They are of course talking about bat'leths, which were new to Molor! (PB, paq'raD, Canto 13:11)



--
Voragh
tlhIngan ghantoH pIn'a'
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons